Scottish Living: Oddball sales pitch

Buyers at a former university building will get an unusual bonus  a croquet lawn and set. Lynn Cochrane swings by

Property developers will go to outrageous lengths to appeal to buyers. At a mill conversion in Huddersfield, the new owners can ask the resident chef to throw another steak on the grill while waiting for the concierge to pick up their dry cleaning. A company called Cityscape is currently selling boutique apartments at the Glasgow harbour development, complete with bespoke furniture and original paintings.

The quirkiest idea to sell a home in Scotland comes from Paul Dickens. The managing director of New Alba is laying a full-size croquet lawn in the grounds of his latest development, Redwood House in Edinburgh’s leafy Merchiston, a former university building.

“I considered options such as tennis courts or a putting green but in the end I thought a croquet lawn would be absolutely ideal and would add a lot more character to the site,” he says.